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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 2.46.42

Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 46: Rāma crosses the Gaṅgā. He sends Sumantra back as proof of departure, forms matted locks with banyan sap and crosses while Sītā prays

In the sequence: he offers to serve them in the forest and bring them home when the exile ends

2.46.42

prasīdecchāmi te 'raṇye bhavituṃ pratyanantaraḥ
prītyābhihitam icchāmi bhava me patyanantaraḥ

'Be gracious! I wish to be your close attendant in the forest; grant what is asked in love, I beg — be near at hand to me.'

Words: prasīdecchāmi — be gracious; I wish; te — your; 'raṇye — in the forest; bhavituṃ — to be, become; pratyanantaraḥ — close, immediately attendant; prītyābhihitam — spoken out of affection; icchāmi — I wish; bhava — be; me — to me; patyanantaraḥ — near at hand (var. of pratyanantaraḥ)

Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki, the ādikavi of the ādikāvya: the first poet of the first poem. Sanskrit: The Vālmīki-Rāmāyaṇa: Critical Edition, Oriental Institute, Baroda, 1960–1975 (gen. eds. G. H. Bhatt, U. P. Shah); IAST from GRETIL (Göttingen). Translation and word glosses: Claude Opus 4.6–4.7; summaries and sequences: ChatGPT Astra (machine-made). Numbering follows the Critical Edition, not the vulgate (e.g. Gita Press, valmikiramayan.net), so sarga and verse numbers can differ from those editions.